Finnish military ranks
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Finnish military ranks form a system that incorporates features from Swedish, German, and Russian armed forces. In addition, it has some typically Finnish characteristics that are mostly due to the personnel structure of the Finnish Defence Forces. The ranks have official names in Finnish and Swedish languages and official English translations. The Swedish forms are used in all Swedish-languages communications in Finland, e.g. in Swedish-speaking units of Finnish Defence Force. The system of ranks in the Swedish Armed Forces is slightly different.
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[edit] Table of ranks
The ranks currently used by the Finnish Defence Forces are (Finnish name above, and Swedish name below):
[edit] Army and Air Force ranks
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[edit] Navy ranks
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The insignia is different from other European systems by some features. Stars are not used in the insignia. Small stars in conjunction with the insignia specifying the rank are used to identify contractual military personnel. Large roses, instead of an oak leaves, denote ranks from major to colonel. Generals wear lions (Lion of Finland) instead of stars. Also, the rank of Senior Lieutenant is also unknown elsewhere. The qualifiers yli "Senior" and ali "Junior" are used in the names of some ranks; for example, kersantti is "Sergeant", while alikersantti is "Junior Sergeant" (Corporal).
Insignia are placed in the collar in parade and service uniforms M/58 and M/83 and in field uniforms M/62 and M/91, but in other dresses, it may be in the arm, shoulder or in older uniforms, on the sleeve. If the insignia is placed on the arm or on the sleeve, sleeve insignia is used. In the modern field uniform M/05, the collar insignia is placed on the chest. The colours of the background and the lining on the Army and Airforce collar plates indicate branch of specialization. In field uniforms, the collar plates do not carry branch colours or corner accents. When camouflage uniforms M/91 or M/05 are used as service uniforms, the national flag and the unit insignia on background of the serviceman's branch colour is carried on the arm. In the table above, the army insignia for ranks from Private to Major are depicted on infantry collar plates, with the exception of Officer Student, which features Reserve Officer School collar plates. The ranks from Lieutenant Colonel to General are depicted on the collar plates of General Staff officers.
In the Navy uniform, officers wear the Lion of Finland on the top of their insignia, while Warrant officers use the special insignia of their duty branch. In field uniforms, these emblems are dropped. Specialist officers always wear their specialist insignia in addition to their rank insignia on the collar plates. On sleeve and shoulder insignia, the specialty is denoted by couloured insignia background.
The NCO students do not wear any collar insignia. Their sole rank insignia consists of a silver line worn on the shoulder or arm of all uniforms.
[edit] Exceptions
[edit] General officers
The ranks of Field Marshal (sotamarsalkka) and Marshal of Finland (Suomen marsalkka) were bestowed on Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim in 1933 and 1942, respectively. These are officially not military ranks but honorific titles, but were used like military ranks senior to the rank of General. The rank of General may, as a sign of special recognition, include a service branch: those historically used were General of Infantry (jalkaväenkenraali), General of Cavalry (ratsuväenkenraali) and General of Artillery (tykistökenraali). These additions do not affect seniority. There are no living general officers with such recognition, the last one being General of Infantry Adolf Ehrnrooth (1905–2004).
All generals from Brigadier General to General are addressed herra kenraali, and similarly for admirals.
[edit] Military civil servants and specialist officers
Personnel serving in technical duties belonging to the officers without officer training hold the position of military civil servant (sotilasvirkamies). Their rank is comparable to either 1st Lieutenant, Lieutenant and Chief Warrant officer, depending on the level of the civilian education required to serve in this position. The lowest class is reserved for non-salaried military civil servants. Usually the military civil servants are an exception as their positions are likely to be filled by special officers, who have received officer training and hold commissions in addition to civilian academic education. The most typical specialties are engineering and medicine.
Reservists may be promoted up to the rank of Major both in special and normal officer ranks, if they show extraordinary commitment to national defence. In rare cases, reservists have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Chaplains serve in the ranks of Chaplain (sotilaspastori), Senior Chaplain (kenttärovasti, literally, Field Dean), and Chaplain General (kenttäpiispa, literally, Field Bishop), corresponding to the ranks of Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Brigadier General, respectively. In addition, they have a personal rank into which they revert at the end of their clerical service in the Finnish Defence Force. Conscript chaplains and deacons serve in their personal rank.
[edit] Officer training
Conscripts who have passed a reserve officer course, serve as Officer Cadets (upseerikokelas) and are considered NCOs ranking as sergeants. They are addressed herra kokelas or herra upseerikokelas. At the end of their service period, they are promoted to 2nd Lieutenants. Cadets (kadetti) are career military, attending their professional officer education in the National Defence University. Cadets attending the fourth year in National Defence University are senior to Lieutenants. Other Cadets are senior to 2nd Lieutenants. In addition, the cadets may hold a cadet NCO rank which pertains to the seniority inside the Cadet Corps but does not affect their ranks in relation to other military personnel.
[edit] NCO ranks
The NCO ranks in the Finnish Defence Force are filled by conscripts, career NCOs and contractual military personnel. The basic NCO rank is Enlistee (sotilasammattihenkilö), which is a rank and file position. Its relation to other rank and file ranks is unspecified. Career NCOs usually serve in the ranks of Chief Warrant Officer, ylivääpeli (Senior Warrant Officer), Warrant Officer, Staff Sergeant and Sergeant, the rank of Enlistee being reserved for career NCOs without conscript NCO training. The contractual military personnel (sopimussotilaat) serve in their reserve ranks. Until 2007, reserve officers served in the rank of Staff Sergeant but this practice has now been abolished. To distinct them from conscripts contractual military personnel wear a small star insignia in conjunction with the insignia indicating their rank. After discharge from the military, both enlistees and contractual military personnel revert to their reserve ranks. The conscripts may hold the NCO ranks of Officer Cadet, Sergeant, Officer Student, or Corporal. Reserve personnel may hold any NCO rank. As both conscript and career NCOs may serve in the rank of Sergeant, career Sergeants use a small sword insignia in conjunction of the chevrons to distinguish them from conscripts.
[edit] Privates
Sotamies is the generic rank for Private, however the word sotamies is no longer used in any service branch. The rank is always given the name specific to the service branch:
- Jaeger (jääkäri) in infantry (including mortar personnel, who may be subordinated to artillery units)
- Signalist (viestimies) in signals corps
- Armourman (panssarimies) in tank units and Armour Jaeger (panssarijääkäri) in mechanised infantry
- Driver (autosotamies) in transport corps
- Gunner (tykkimies) in anti-aircraft corps, field artillery and coastal units of the Navy
- NBC private (suojelumies) in NBC defence units
- Engineer (pioneeri) in engineers
- Frontier Jaeger (rajajääkäri) in the Border Guard (Conscript rank, enlisted Border Guard personnel are NCOs in ranks of nuorempi rajavartija, vanhempi rajavartija and ylirajavartija.)
- Airman (lentosotamies) in the Air Force
- Seaman (matruusi) in the Navy
- Coastal Jaeger (rannikkojääkäri) in certain units of Uusimaa Brigade (Uudenmaan prikaati)
- Dragoon (rakuuna) in the Dragoon troop of Army Warfare School (Rakuunaeskadroona/Maasotakoulu)
- Cavalryman (ratsumies) in the Häme Regiment (Hämeen rykmentti)
- Guard Jaeger (kaartinjääkäri) in Guard Jaeger Regiment (Kaartin jääkärirykmentti)
- Paratroop jaeger (laskuvarjojääkäri) in Utti Jaeger Regiment (Utin jääkärirykmentti)
NCO students hold either the permanent rank of Private or Lance Corporal and rank accordingly. The rank of alokas is used to denote privates in basic training.
